Any Second Now has suffered the ultimate frustration at the Grand National in his previous two runs on the grand stage at Aintree Racecourse. Ted Walsh’s charge made his first appearance in the race in 2021 and finished third with a fine outing in his debut National run. He returned for the contest in 2022 with many touting him as the favorite at odds of 15/2 to take the crown.
However, he and the field were stunned by the performance of Noble Yeats, who emerged out of nowhere to win the National with a brilliant outing as a 50/1 outsider. The result continued a recent theme in the Grand National where horses with long odds have triumphed ahead of favored horses. It would not be a surprise to see another outsider succeed in 2023.
Can Any Second Now overcome setbacks?
Any Second Now will return to Aintree in the bid to finally get over the hump, although it will not be straightforward. If you're betting on horse racing this year, Walsh’s charge is backed in the odds at 14/1 to win the race. This puts him in good company in the minds of the bookies with only Noble Yeats, Corach Rambler and Gaillard Du Mesnil ahead of him with shorter prices.
Any Second Now reaches a bit at the last but runs out a good winner of the opening G3 Chase @NaasRacecourse with Mark Walsh for Ted Walsh pic.twitter.com/PMqgEdL8OL
The issue for Any Second Now will be to negotiate the extra weight that he's placed with for the National this season. The handicappers have placed him with the highest weight of 11st and 12lb, which will certainly be a factor against the other leaders in the field, who will be carrying less of a burden around the four miles of Aintree Racecourse. Therefore, Any Second Now and jockey Mark Walsh will have to be flawless in their performance.
The Irish thoroughbred has competed twice since his defeat at the Grand National. Ted Walsh put his charge into the Punchestown Hurdle to allow him to regain his footing ahead of the campaign, and although he was out of his comfort zone at just over two miles, he still put in a solid outing to finish second behind Saint Sam. Encouraged by his display, Any Second Now was put forward for the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown. Again he was off the pace of the exceptional Galopin Des Champs, but he still made a decent effort to place in fourth. Ted Walsh will be hopeful that those races will have allowed him to build a rhythm ahead of the Grand National.
In good company
Any Second Now has followed an identical path to one of the greats of horse racing in the form of L’Escargot. The legendary horse finished third in his first outing at the Grand National in 1973 when Red Rum triumphed. L’Escargot was beaten out yet again by Red Rum in 1974, although he did improve in his second run to finish as the runner-up.
The most underrated, forgotten horse ever to win at Cheltenham
Three times Cheltenham winner & still talk about old horses from the 70s & 80s he never gets a mention
1968 Supreme Novices Hurdle Winner
1970 Gold Cup Winner
1971 Gold Cup Winner
1975 Grand National Winner
L'ESCARGOT pic.twitter.com/IKSFHzSdjj
However, in 1975 he stunned Red Rum with a brilliant performance to win the Grand National, denying Ginger McCain’s charge a third win in a row at Aintree. Any Second Now will dream of emulating L’Escargot by winning the Grand National on the third attempt, but it’s a path that few have achieved in the modern era. Past runners-up have notably struggled to get back into contention and Walsh may have to concede that his charge may have missed his opportunity.
